Process for hooping railway crossties and machines for carrying it out



G. C. DELO CESS FOR HOOPING RAIL R 2,681,087 P WAY CROSSTIES ND MACHINES FOR CARRYING IT OUT June 15, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 4, 1949 GASTON CHARLES DELOR Attorney June 15, 1954 G. c. DELOR 2,681,087

PROCESS FOR HOOPING RAILWAY CROSSTIES AND MACHINES FOR CARRYING IT OUT Filed May 4, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor:

GASTON CHARLES DELOR Attorney v Filed May 4, 1949 June 15, 1954 G. c. DELOR 2,681,087

PROCESS FOR HOOPING RAILWAY CROSSTIES AND MACHINES FOR CARRYING IT OUT 5 Sheet,sSheet 5 Inventor:

GASTON CHARLES DELOR Attorney June 15, 1954 c, DELOR 2,681,087

PROCESS FOR HOOPING RAILWAY CROSSTIES AND MACHINES FOR CARRYING IT OUT Filed May 4, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Inventor:

GASTON cmauzs DELOR Attorney June 15, 1954 G. c. DELOR 87 I PROCESS FOR HOOPING RAILWAY CROSSTIES AND MACHINES FOR CARRYING IT OUT Inventor GASTON CHARLES DELOB.

M 6 f $14M Attorney Patented June 15, 1954 UNITED STATES ENT OFFICE PROCESS FOR HOOPING RAILWAY CROSS- TIES AND MACHINES FCR CARRYING IT OUT of France Application May 4, 1949, Serial No. 91,248

Claims priority, application France May 26, 1948 5 Claims.

This invention relates to the hooping of railway crossties or other wood-pieces, and more generally speaking to the manufacturing of such cross-ties.

The usual procedure for hooping railway crossties is as follows: the cross-tie is first strongly compressed in the proximity of the point Where the hoop is to be placed, namely at one extremity of the cross-tie, by means of a crushing strap, then the compressed tie is surrounded by a hoop of any type, placed near the strap, and having a buckle or loop at one end through which the other end of the strap is extended. After being passed through the buckle or loop, that other end of the strap is reverted upon itself and secured to prevent longitudinal displacement of the buckle or loop relative to the strap end portion extended there-through. The loop or buckle may be a separately formed part secured to the related end of the strap or it may be formed as an integral part of the latter. In any case, prior to reverting the end of the strap extended through the loop or buckle, the strap is pulled tight through the loop or buckle while holding the latter against displacement thereby to tension the strap around the cross-tie and to close the chinks or cracks that may be present in the cross-tie.

lhe drawback of such a process is that the hoop is more or less tightly fitted on the cross-tie as it rubs against the cross-tie. It is possible that, on account of the outer shape of the cross-tie, the hoop improperly adheres to one of the lateral faces of the cross-tie, though satisfactorily doing so with regard to the other faces. Any defiection between the cross-tie and the hoop produces 21 slack in the latter to the prejudice of the hooping.

Furthermore, the hoop rubs on the ring and it may happen that this friction is so great as to prevent the hoop from sliding around the ring which results in a local drawing out of the hoop. The part thus drawn out becomes a part of least resistance and can result in weak points which, particularly when the strap surrounding the cross-tie is unbound, may cause the hoop to break.

If the hoop jams in the loop or buckle, a longitudinal deformation or extension of the hoop beyond its elastic limit may also occur in the localized area of the strap or hoop adjacent the buckle so that the hoop will fit improperly on at least one face of the cross-tie.

The present invention relates, in the first place, to an improvement in the hooping process which distinguishes over the usual process we have briefly disclosed by the fact that the peripherical tightening of the cross-tie is effected. at the very place where the hoop is to be located.

The hooping process according to the invention is mainly characterized by the fact that the hoop is compressed into the cross-tie by exerting on it a pressure compressing the cross-tie altogether, and after the ends of the hoop are joined and fixed, the wood is permitted to swell.

The hoop can be pressed into the wood by distinct operations carried out against the several surfaces of the cross-tie either successively or simultaneously.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a machine for carrying out the above process. This machine is mainly characterized by the fact that it comprises, for each of the faces of the cross-tie into which the hoop must be pressed, means for preventing the cross-tie from moving perpendicularly to the face to be pressed and in the direction of the pressure, and also a mobile member which can be displaced towards the movement preventing means to impart said pressure thus ensuring the penetration of the hoop into the cross-tie and the compressing of the cross-tie between the movement preventing means and the mobile member.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the machine is provided with three movable members which press the hoop into three faces of the cross-tie successively.

At least one additional member is provided for impressing the hoop into the fourth face of the crosstie, thus avoiding any objectionable clearance and ensuring a proper joining of the ends of the hoop.

One of the main characteristics of the present invention is that the hoop can be pressed into one of the faces of the cross-tie by displacing, from one end of the cross-tie t0 the other, a roller pressing tightly on the hoop.

To prevent the natural elasticity of the Wood from bringing the cross-tie back to its former sizes before the operation is through, it is advisabie to dispose behind the pressing roller a series of rollers pressing on the hoop and maintaining the latter within the cross-tie.

Further arrangements for preparing the crosstie for hooping are provided on the same machine, according to the invention.

One of these further arrangements consists in adding to said machine a drilling system for making holes in one of the faces of the crosstie, the lower face for instance, so as to ensure a better distribution of impregnation agents inside the cross-tie and particularly to avoid the creation of a dead-zone in the center of the cross-tie; by making holes in this part, an impregnation agent introduced into the holes will penetrate to the center of the cross-tie to avoid the occurrence of a so-called dead, or nonimpregnated, zone at the center.

According to another arrangement, grooves can be made in one of the faces of the cross-tie to house therein the loop of the hoop or, more generally, the fastening device and thus prevent the hooped cross-tie from having maximum transverse dimensions substantially greater than such dimensions of the cross-tie alone, for which the machines for finishing the manufacture of the cross-tie are adapted; this arrangement, furthermore, prevents movement of the hoop along the cross-tie.

In a machine according to the invention, an automatic device is provided for carrying the cross-ties to be hooped from one end of the machine to the other. Therefore, no manual ma nipulation of the cross-ties is required during the hooping, milling and drilling operations or the intervals therebetween.

Further characteristics and particular advantages of the invention will become apparent in the course of the specification hereinbelow, in which, with reference to the accompanying drawings, is illustrated, by way of example and not by way of limitation, a particular embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figs. 1, 2 and 3 show oif the hooping process according to the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of the complete machine according to the present invention.

Fig. 5 illustrates the part of the machine effecting the hooping of the cross-ties.

Fig. 6 represents the handling system carrying the crossties to and from the desired place where they are hooped.

Fig. 7 is a view showing the drilling system of the machine and also one of the units for hooping one extremity of the cross-ties, the unit for hooping the other end being shown only in outline.

Fig. 8 represents a part of the machine for milling the grooves in the cross-ties, shown parallel to the direction along which the cross-ties move.

Fig. 9 is a partial plan View of the part shown in Fig. 8.

Figs. 1-3 are diagrammatic representations of the hooping process according to the invention.

In Fig. 1, the hoop l is first applied against the L cross-tie 2, then pressed, as shown diagrammatically by the arrow F, into the surface of the cross-tie, so that the face 3 of the hoop becomes substantially flush with face 4 of the cross-tie. The value of the pressure F is so calculated as not only to cause the hoop to penetrate com pletely into the cross-tie, but also to push it substantially within the cross-tie to be hooped, so that the transverse section of the cross-tie is reduced where the pressure is exerted thereby to close all cracks or chinks in the tie. This illustrated diagrammatically on Fig. 2, face 4 being therein shown back from face i in Figure l.

The hoop is thereafter stretched and the ends oined together. Then the pressure F is removed and the cross-tie tends to spring back to its original size.

The effect of the compression exerted in the second stage is, in the first place, a compression located in the proximity of the hoop for sinking the latter into the cross-tie and, a more general compression for reducing the section of the crosstie in the part corresponding to the hoop.

When the pressure on the cross-tie is released, a double slackening occurs corresponding to the double compression mentioned above and tending to make the hoop partially project out of the cross-tie (localized slack) and furthermore, to dilate the compressed section of the cross-tie partially toward its former dimensions (general slack).

The disposition shown on Fig. 3 will thus be obtained. The surface of the cross-tie is thereon shown at 4, and the hoop is indicated at i. t will be noticed that the hoop penetrates into the cross-tie through part of its thickness; on the other hand, the section of the cross-tie tends to resume its former sizes, but with a certain difference corresponding to the closing of the cracks or chinks in the wood and this accounts for the position of face 4 represented on 3 ahead of its position on Fig. 2 but somewhat back from that on Fig. 1.

On Fig. 4. a machine for carrying out the process hereinabove described is illustrated diagrammatically. This machine comprises two different parts corresponding respectively, in operative succession, to the milling of the extremities of the cross-tie on the one hand, and to the hooping and drilling of the same, on the other hand, the last two operations being carried out simultaneously.

This machine comprises an assembly of conveyors of the type having parallel endless conveyor chains, and assemblies for the hooping, milling and drilling operations. The cross-ties are laid on the conveyors, perpendicular to the direction in which the latter are advancing. The illustrated machine has a hooping-unit and a drilling unit, each one being divided into two separate parts, disposed on each side of the conveyors. It will often happen in the following description that reference will be made to one of these parts only, but it is to be understood that the hooping and drilling units at the opposite sides of the conveyor are the same.

The cross-tie is carried on the extremity of a conveyor 6, moving forward as shown by the arrow F1, to point 5, under the milling device I which forms, across all the breadth of the crosstie, a groove the depth of which is in proportion with the thickness of the cross-tie. During this operation, the cross-tie 2 is guided laterally at its extremities.

The milling device 1 includes an articulated parallelogram 9 which, on one of its sides, carries a milling cutter Hi to hollow out the groove in the cross-tie. The groove preferably has a crosssectional configuration without any inner angle to prevent tear-points in the wood and substantially conforms to the transverse section of the loop and hoop together.

Such a result can be ensured by providing a suitably shaped milling-cutter.

The cross-tie is then cleared of the guiding means and brought to the end I l of the conveyor.

The conveyor 6 is then stopped by means of a suitable conventional control (not shown) acting in response to contact by the conveyed cross-tie until the cross-tie is taken away by the conveyor [2 associated with the second part of the machine. The conveyor 6 is then started through release of the contact responsive control and .a further cross-tie is carried to the milling device i.

The conveyor l2 then carries the milled crosstie into a gap l3 between the conveyor I Z'and another conveyor M and where the cross-tie is hooped; central holes are made during hooping of the latter, and thereafter the conveyor l carries the hooped cross-tie away, while the next one is taken by the conveyor if! to the bottom of the gap I3.

The part of the machine for effecting hooping will now be described with reference to figure 5. The cross-tie is carried by the conveyor l2 (represented diagrammatically on the figure) into the gap l3 and pressed against a support at the bottom thereof by a movable locking clamp l5 which is laterally spaced from the path of the cross-tie during movement of the latter into and out of the gap I3 and is moved onto the cross-tie after the latter comes to rest at the bottom of the gap l3 to bear downwardly on the cross-tie at a location as near as possible to the place where it is desired to put the hoop, but not over it. The hoop being disposed as shown in Fig. 5, a pressing slide ll, moving horizontally applies the hoop closely against the face l8 of the cross-tie 2 and presses it into the latter, with the cross-tie butting against the upwardly extending portion or side E9 of a fixed substantially L-shaped bearing frame, said frame having a bottom part 19 and being open at its other side and top. The pres sure is calculated so that the hoop may thus be pressed into the face :8 of the cross-tie.

In a second operation, a roller 2c is pressed firmly against the lower face 2% of the cross-tie and moving in the direction of the arrow F2 in Fig. 5 presses the hoop into the face 29 stretching the hoop along said face so as to avoid any slack opposite the angle of the faces l8 and 2t. Behind the roller 20, is a series of rollers 22 moving along with the first one to maintain the hoop it within the face 2| and press the cross-tie against the clamp [5.

A lever 23, pivoted on an axis 2d, pivots when the roller reaches the left extremity of its travel; said lever 23 lifts the hoop it and drives it between the face 25 f the cross-tie 2 and a slide it similar to the slide ill, but removable, to al low for the vertical extension of the hoop, and movable transversely relative to the cross-tie in opposite direction to the slide ill. The ends of the hoop or strap are loosely joined together by manually extending one end of the strap loosely through a buckle on the other end of the strap.

In a third operation, the slide it is acted upon so as to compress the portion of the hoop opposite face 25, the result thereof being to compress the cross-tie also horizontally.

Then, rollers 26 and 26 are operated, pressing the hoop flat against the upper face 2'! of the cross-tie and ensuring the fixation of the extremities of the hoop. These rollers move in opposite directions which tend to draw the end portions of the strap toward each other prior to compressing or flattening the securing buckle which then fixes the ends of the strap with respect to each other.

When the extremities of the hoop are joined, the various slides and rollers are removed and the cross-tie is raised and taken away by the conveyor M to the left portion of Fig. 5 where the cross-tie is carried away either to be stocked or to be brought back for further finishing operations.

Fig. 6 illustrates the conveyors l2 and M and shows how the gap I3 is arranged between the conveyors. The conveyors comprise carriages such as 28 and 29 driven by parallel chains in the wellknown manner and swaying on axes car- 6 ried by said chains. The portion of the conveyors forming the sides of the gap l3 operate as vertical elevators, while the portions of the conveyors leading to and from the gap i3 only act as horizontal conveyors; naturally, the conveyors are stopped during the hooping operation.

In order to hoop both extremities of the crosstie simultaneously, the machine is provided with two units arranged on each side of the conveyors, with at least one being movable (Fig. '7) so that the machine may be adapted to cross-ties of dif ferent lengths. Both parts comprise the same hooping assembly and act similarly on both extremities of the cross-tie. These parts do not necessarily operate in synchronism, so that the operator may work quite freely and more particularly, so that two operators may be employed, each one working at one of the extremities of the cross-tie and carrying out different hooping operations.

As seen in Fig. 7, a drilling system is arranged between the two hooping parts, or units, only one of the latter being diagrammatically illustrated on the drawing. This drilling device or system may, for instance, comprise three drills to, carried by a traverse 3| sliding on two supports 32 and driven by a motor 33, the drills being rotated by a motor 34.

The three drills are preferably arranged on a straight line in oblique relation with the longitudinal axis of the cross-tie, in order not to form holes in the same fibers of the wood, which would reduce the strength of the cross-tie.

The milling part is illustrated on Figs. 8 and 9, the milling cutter [i3 is carried by an arm 35 pivoting at 36 on the driving shaft for the milling cutter, the rotation being transmitted from the driving shaft to the cutter H] through a belt 31. The cross-tie 2 carried by the conveyor 5 is operated on by the milling-cutter as shown on the figures. A second arm 38, is articulated at 39 at its lower part and is articulated at cc at its upper part so as to form with the arm 35 and the skid M an articulated parallelogram.

Such a unit composed of a parallelogram and a shoe or skid allows the milling-cutter or cutters to be maintained in operative position, and, furthermore, the feed-depth to be adjusted to the total thickness of the cross-tie. For a given thickness of a cross-tie, the vertical distance between the lower face of a skid and the lowest point in the circumference of the milling-cut ter, has a given value. If a cross-tie is replaced by one of smaller thickness, when the skid bears on the cross-tie, the arm 35 carrying the millingcutter is more inclined and the vertical distance between the skid surface and the bottom point of the cutter is smaller. Since the depth of the cut depends on this distance, it will also be smaller.

The displacements of this parallelogram are controlled by a push-rod 42, controlled, in its turn, by a cam 53 fixed on a shaft is carrying a sprocket of the conveyor 5. Thus, it is possible to synchronize the vertical displacements of the milling-cutter and the skid with the movement of the conveyor ii. The assembly constituted by the articulated parallelogram and the milling-- cutter is carried by a carriage .5 on one side of the conveyor, this carriage moving transversely in relation to the direction in which the crossties move. The transverse displacements of the carriage A5 are controlled, in the same way as' 7 cam 46 acts on a push-rod 41 which is operatively connected to a bell-crank lever is (Fig. 9) pivoting on the axis 49 and controlling the displacements of the carriage 35, in a direction parallel to the arrow F3 of Fig. 9.

On account of the shape of the cams es and #15, as a cross-tie 2 on the conveyor 5 approaches "he milling-cutter, the following operations place: the skid t] is lifted and the milling-cutter is also raised, while the carriage 45 moves laterally away to permit the cross-tie to move into the position for milling; then, a counterweight 5d brings the carriage back to the cross-tie immobilizing the latter between a stop integral with the carriage and another stop integral with the opposite portion on the other side of the conveyor. A counterweight 5|, acting on the articulated parallelogram lowers the skid and the mill-- ing-cutter starts to operate.

The milling-part comprises another unit similar to the one above described and placed opposite to the latter, on the other side of the conveyor. It is controlled by the same shaft as and by a cam (not shown) mounted on said shaft and corresponding to the cam 43.

Such cam controls the vertical displacements of the skid and milling-cutter of the second part. The latter is fixed laterally and the shaft dd may, for instance, be of the telescopic type to permit the lateral displacements of the first part forming the mobile unit.

The machine hereabove described is adjustable to any length or any section of the crossties by setting the movable hooping and drilling units more or less apart.

Each hooping operator can control his work through a remote-control station.

The hooping elements may be operated either by hydraulic, pneumatic or mechanical presses, for instance, or by any other propelling means.

Any modification in the details or the embodi merits of the invention can be made without departing from the invention. More particularly, such a machine can be arranged to act on one extremity only of the cross-tie, though less advantageous. Furthermore, the process and the machine in the present invention can be used for any other wood-piece.

I claim:

1. A process for hooping railway cross-ties and similar pieces of general rectangular shape in cross section, including pressing the hoop into three faces of the cross-tie successively by exerting pressures against the hoop successively normal to the faces and suflicient to drive said hoop coinpietely into the cross-tie while compressing the latter at the location of said hoop, joining the extremities of the hoop while the cross-tie is still under compression, and thereafter removing the pressures to let the cross-tie expand and tension the hoop.

2. A machine for hooping railroad cross-ties comprising, in combination, a fixed single frame for reception therein of a cross-tie, said frame oeing open at the top and on one side, a first slide member for forcing a hoop into one side of cross-tie and simultaneously compressing said cross-tie against the side wall of said frame,

roller means in parallel spaced relationship to said slide member and movable along the lower face of said cross-tie for pressing said hoop into said lower face, a second slide member opposite said first slide member for pressing said hoop into the side of said cross-tie opposite said firstmentioned side, means opposite said roller means for preventing vertical movement of said crosstie, means for operating said first slide, roller and second slide successively, and means for joining the extremities of said hoop across the top of said cross-tie.

3. A machine for hooping railroad cross-ties comprising, in combination, a, fixed L-shaped frame having a horizontal portion and a vertical portion extending from one side of said horizontal portion so that said frame opens upwardly and at the other side for receiving a cross-tie therein, a first slide member at said other side of the frame and movable horizontally toward said vertical portion to force a part of a hoop into a side surface of the cross-tie and simultaneously compress the cross-tie against said vertical portion of the frame, means above said horizontal portion of the frame operative to hold the cross-tie downwardly on said horizontal portion of the frame, roller means movable from said other side toward said one side of the frame along a horizontal path which is parallel to and spaced downwardly from the path of travel of said first slide member for pressing another part of the hoop into the lower face of the cross-tie, a second slide member disposed at said one side of the frame opposite said first slide member and movable toward the latter for pressing still another part of the hoop into the side of the cross-tie facing toward said one side of the frame, means for successively operating said first slide member, roller means and second slide member, and means for joining together the ends of the hoop across the top face of the cross-tie.

i. A machine according to claim 3; wherein said roller means includes a main roller operative to force the hoop part into the lower face of the cross-tie and a series of auxiliary rollers trailing said main roller and operative to maintain the related part of the hoop against the lower face of the cross-tie.

5. A machine according to claim 3; wherein said means for joining the ends of the hoop includes rollers movable toward each other from the opposite sides of said frame along horizontal paths spaced upwardly from the paths of travel of said first and second slide members for pres ing the end parts of the hoop into the upper face of the cross-tie and toward each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 374,372 Phelps Dec. 6, 1887 2,009,265 Hirschfield July 23, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 832,522 France July 4, 1938 901,531 France Nov. 5, i944 

